U.S. U-20 MNT vs. Haiti
4-1 W

2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica (Feb. 21, 2017) – The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team rode a strong second half performance and a hat trick from Brooks Lennon to a 4-1 victory against Haiti at the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship. With the result, the U.S. sits second heading into Friday’s Group B finale vs. St. Kitts and Nevis.

The U-20 MNT went down early, surrendering a goal against the run of play when Kenley Dede expertly finished from inside the area in the 15th minute. The USA responded 13 minutes later when Jonathan Lewis drew a penalty kick, setting up Lennon’s first goal that sent the teams into the locker rooms knotted at 1-1.

The U.S. sought out the go-ahead goal early in the latter stanza and broke through in the 52nd minute when Luca de la Torre pounced on a loose ball in the box. A Haiti turnover on the left side led to Lennon’s second goal a minute later, when he cleanly finished from the right to give the USA a 3-1 lead. The Real Salt Lake attacker completed his hat trick when he followed up de la Torre’s effort from outside the area in the 58th minute.

Following Panama’s 4-0 win against St. Kitts and Nevis earlier Tuesday, the result pushes the U.S. into second place in Group B thanks to a +2 goal differential.

Up Next: The U-20 MNT closes out the group stage of the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship on Friday, Feb. 24 when they take on St. Kitts and Nevis. Kickoff from Estadio Ricardo Saprissa in Tibás, Costa Rica is set for 5:30 p.m. ET and the match can be seen live on UDN and the CONCACAF Facebook Page. The match follows the Panama-Haiti contest, which will dictate the result the USA needs against St. Kitts and Nevis in order to advance to the Classification Stage. Social: Twitter (@ussoccer_ynt; @ussoccer_esp); Facebook; Instagram

2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship Group B Standings

Team

GP

W

L

D

Pts.

GF

GA

GD

Panama

2

2

0

0

6

5

0

+5

USA

2

1

1

0

3

4

2

+2

Haiti

2

1

1

0

3

6

5

+1

St. Kitts and Nevis

2

0

2

0

0

1

9

-8

Goal Scoring Rundown:
HAI – Kenley Dede (Jonel Desire), 15th minute: Haiti caught the U.S. in transition as Alessandro Campoy played a quick ball up the right for Jonel Desire. The winger drove towards the end line before cutting in a cross that bounced in the box to Kenley Dede, who volleyed inside the right post.
USA 0, HAI 1 [WATCH]

USA – Brooks Lennon (penalty kick), 28th minute: The U.S. responded with sustained possession and broke through just before the half hour mark. Erik Palmer-Brown played a clever through ball for Jonathan Lewis who was chopped down by Stevenson Guillaume just as he entered the box. Referee Vladin Legister pointed to the spot, where Brooks Lennon stepped up and buried his penalty kick inside the lower left post. USA 1, HAI 1 [WATCH]

USA – Luca de la Torre, 52nd minute: The U.S. took the lead just after half time when Lennon’s corner kick from the left was palmed down by Haiti goalkeeper Isaac Rouaud. The ball fell for Luca de la Torre at the top of the area and he fired into the unoccupied net to push the U.S. ahead. USA 2, HAI 1 [WATCH]

USA – Brooks Lennon, 58th minute: Lennon grabbed his hat trick just before the hour mark when Ebobisse broke into the penalty area on the right before cutting back and sliding the ball to de la Torre just outside the area. The Fulham midfielder drove a blistering low effort that forced a diving stop out of Rouaud, but the rebound fell right for Lennon who followed up with his third tally of the match. USA 4, HAI 1 [WATCH] FINAL

Key Saves and Defensive Stops
USA – Justen Glad, 33rd minute: Jonel Desire ran on to a diagonal ball over the top and again cut inside, sending a low ball for Richelor Sprangers before Justen Glad swept through to clear the ball out for a corner kick.

HAI – Stevenson Guillaume, 51st minute: The U.S. began looking for the go-ahead goal when Ebobisse’s trailing ball from the right found Lewis on the left side of the box. The New York City FC forward cut back for Lennon whose quick shot was denied by Guillaume who slid through to put the ball out for a corner kick.

USA – Jonathan Klinsmann, 76th minute: Substitute striker Ronaldo Damus stayed active up top and received an early pass that led him into the area where he hit a left-footed bullet that saw Klinsmann stretch to his right, pushing the ball over the end line.

NOTES:

With the result, Tab Ramos moves to 9-3-1 all-time in CONCACAF U-20 Championship play

Photos from the U.S. U-20 Men's National Team's 4-1 victory against Haiti at Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica in San Jose. A hat trick from Brooks Lennon and one goal from Luca de la Torre marked the difference in the game. The win, in the second game of Group B play of the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, moves the USA into second place with one game to go. The U-20 MNT plays its final group stage match against St. Kitts and Nevis, on Friday, Feb. 24 at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa in Tibas, Costa Rica. Read more

The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team will take on Haiti in its crucial second match of the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica in San Jose. The game can be seen live at 5:30 p.m. ET on Univision Deportes Network or via livestream on the official CONCACAF Facebook page.
Here’s what you should know about the USA’s Tuesday opponent
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SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica (Feb. 21, 2017) – The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team rode a strong second half performance and a hat trick from Brooks Lennon to a 4-1 victory against Haiti at the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship. With the result, the U.S. sits second heading into Friday’s Group B finale vs. St. Kitts and Nevis.

The U-20 MNT went down early, surrendering a goal against the run of play when Kenley Dede expertly finished from inside the area in the 15th minute. The USA responded 13 minutes later when Jonathan Lewis drew a penalty kick, setting up Lennon’s first goal that sent the teams into the locker rooms knotted at 1-1.

The U.S. sought out the go-ahead goal early in the latter stanza and broke through in the 52nd minute when Luca de la Torre pounced on a loose ball in the box. A Haiti turnover on the left side led to Lennon’s second goal a minute later, when he cleanly finished from the right to give the USA a 3-1 lead. The Real Salt Lake attacker completed his hat trick when he followed up de la Torre’s effort from outside the area in the 58th minute.

Following Panama’s 4-0 win against St. Kitts and Nevis earlier Tuesday, the result pushes the U.S. into second place in Group B thanks to a +2 goal differential.

Up Next: The U-20 MNT closes out the group stage of the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship on Friday, Feb. 24 when they take on St. Kitts and Nevis. Kickoff from Estadio Ricardo Saprissa in Tibás, Costa Rica is set for 5:30 p.m. ET and the match can be seen live on UDN and the CONCACAF Facebook Page. The match follows the Panama-Haiti contest, which will dictate the result the USA needs against St. Kitts and Nevis in order to advance to the Classification Stage. Social: Twitter (@ussoccer_ynt; @ussoccer_esp); Facebook; Instagram

2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship Group B Standings

Team

GP

W

L

D

Pts.

GF

GA

GD

Panama

2

2

0

0

6

5

0

+5

USA

2

1

1

0

3

4

2

+2

Haiti

2

1

1

0

3

6

5

+1

St. Kitts and Nevis

2

0

2

0

0

1

9

-8

Goal Scoring Rundown:
HAI – Kenley Dede (Jonel Desire), 15th minute: Haiti caught the U.S. in transition as Alessandro Campoy played a quick ball up the right for Jonel Desire. The winger drove towards the end line before cutting in a cross that bounced in the box to Kenley Dede, who volleyed inside the right post.
USA 0, HAI 1 [WATCH]

USA – Brooks Lennon (penalty kick), 28th minute: The U.S. responded with sustained possession and broke through just before the half hour mark. Erik Palmer-Brown played a clever through ball for Jonathan Lewis who was chopped down by Stevenson Guillaume just as he entered the box. Referee Vladin Legister pointed to the spot, where Brooks Lennon stepped up and buried his penalty kick inside the lower left post. USA 1, HAI 1 [WATCH]

USA – Luca de la Torre, 52nd minute: The U.S. took the lead just after half time when Lennon’s corner kick from the left was palmed down by Haiti goalkeeper Isaac Rouaud. The ball fell for Luca de la Torre at the top of the area and he fired into the unoccupied net to push the U.S. ahead. USA 2, HAI 1 [WATCH]

USA – Brooks Lennon, 58th minute: Lennon grabbed his hat trick just before the hour mark when Ebobisse broke into the penalty area on the right before cutting back and sliding the ball to de la Torre just outside the area. The Fulham midfielder drove a blistering low effort that forced a diving stop out of Rouaud, but the rebound fell right for Lennon who followed up with his third tally of the match. USA 4, HAI 1 [WATCH] FINAL

Key Saves and Defensive Stops
USA – Justen Glad, 33rd minute: Jonel Desire ran on to a diagonal ball over the top and again cut inside, sending a low ball for Richelor Sprangers before Justen Glad swept through to clear the ball out for a corner kick.

HAI – Stevenson Guillaume, 51st minute: The U.S. began looking for the go-ahead goal when Ebobisse’s trailing ball from the right found Lewis on the left side of the box. The New York City FC forward cut back for Lennon whose quick shot was denied by Guillaume who slid through to put the ball out for a corner kick.

USA – Jonathan Klinsmann, 76th minute: Substitute striker Ronaldo Damus stayed active up top and received an early pass that led him into the area where he hit a left-footed bullet that saw Klinsmann stretch to his right, pushing the ball over the end line.

NOTES:

With the result, Tab Ramos moves to 9-3-1 all-time in CONCACAF U-20 Championship play

The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team continues the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship with its second Group B game against Haiti on Tuesday, Feb. 21. The match kicks off at Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica in San Jose, at 5:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Univision Deportes Network and via livestream on the official CONCACAF Facebook page. Fans can also follow along on Twitter @ussoccer_ynt.
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History of the CONCACAF U-20 ChampionshipFrom 1962 to 1996, the qualifying tournament was known as the CONCACAF Youth Tournament. During this era, 16 tournaments took place. The first four occurred in 1962, 1964, 1970 and 1973, and the rest followed a consistent, two-year pattern from 1974 to 1996. In 1976, the event first began to serve as qualification for the FIFA World Youth Championship, which later came to be known as the FIFA U-20 World Cup. It wasn’t until 1983 that an official Under-17 CONCACAF tournament was established, and as such many players 17 and younger participated in the U-20 qualifying tournament before that time.

From 1998 to 2007, CONCACAF held five tournaments without a decisive champion. The top two finishers from two four-team final round groups simply earned a spot at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Since 2009, the CONCACAF region has returned to a championship-style tournament where each semifinalist qualifies for the FIFA U-20 World Cup and the two finalists compete for the tournament championship.

Mexico owns the most CONCACAF Championship titles with 13, and is tied with the U.S. for the most appearances at the final tournament with 14 total.

Guatemala has been the most frequent tournament host, holding the event six times and most recently in 2011.

2017 Tournament FormatThe tournament begins in a group stage, with 12 CONCACAF teams split into three four-team groups. After an initial round-robin schedule, the top two teams from each group will advance to the classification stage, featuring two groups with three teams each. In that second group stage, the top two finishers in each group qualify for the U-20 World Cup, and the first-place teams in each group move on to play for the tournament title.

When and How to Watch the USAIn 2017, each of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship games can be watched live on Facebook via the official CONCACAF Facebook page. Univision Deportes Network will also broadcast all of the USA games in Spanish.

The USA opens Group B play against Panama on Feb. 18 (3:30 p.m. ET), followed by Haiti on Feb. 21 (5:30 p.m. ET) and Saint Kitts and Nevis on Feb. 24 (5:30 p.m. ET). Should the USA finish in the top two of the group, they’ll advance to the classification stage to play two more matches on Feb. 27 and March 3, respectively. If the USA finishes atop its classification group, they’ll advance to the final, set to be played on March 5 (4 p.m. ET).

For those who travel to Costa Rica to watch the games in person, the USA’s first and third group matches will be played at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa in Tibas, with the second match slated for Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica in San Jose.

The USA RosterFeatured on the 20-player U.S. roster are center backs Tommy Redding and Justen Glad, who each had breakout years with Major League Soccer clubs Orlando City and Real Salt Lake, respectively. The squad of U.S. U-20 head coach Tab Ramos includes four players with ties to foreign clubs in Luca de la Torre and Marlon Fossey (both of Fulham FC), while Brooks Lennon (Real Salt Lake) is on loan from Liverpool and Jonathan Gonzalez features for Liga MX side Monterrey’s U-20 team. The roster is rounded out by nine more players from M.L.S and five from the collegiate ranks.

Past World Cup roster experience includes De la Torre, Auston Trusty (Philadelphia Union) and Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls) from the 2015 U-17 World Cup in Chile, and team captain Erik Palmer-Brown (Sporting Kansas City) from the 2015 U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. Redding and Glad were also participants in the 2013 U-17 CONCACAF Championship.

Tab Ramos Looking For Three StraightU.S. U-20 Men’s National Team head coach Tab Ramos is looking to become the first coach in U.S. Soccer history to lead the U-20 MNT to three straight World Cups.

A member of the U.S. squad at the 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship as a 16-year-old, Ramos first led the team to qualification for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup and finished as runner-up after falling 3-1 to Mexico in the final of the qualifying tournament.

In 2015, Ramos led the USA to the World Cup in New Zealand after finishing tied for third in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship before going on to a quarterfinal finish at the tournament proper that June.